A REAL HARD FOUGHT CUP TIE

Manager Mark Robins has admitted his delight as United secured a place in round three of the FA Cup following a dramatic 14-13 penalty shootout victory against Worcester City.

Miguel Llera netted the decisive spot kick to send the Iron through after goals from Paddy Madden and City’s Sean Geddes had seen the tie finish all square at 1-1.

Robins was thrilled to progress to the next stage of the competition and full of praise for the club’s second round opponents.

He told The Iron Player: “It was a real hard fought cup tie and I thought they were outstanding.

“I’ve got to take my hat off to them. I thought they kept going, their energy levels were brilliant and they’ve got lads who worked shifts before they even came to play and then they put another big shift in during the game.

“They’ll be tired, that’s for sure, because they pushed us every step of the way.

“There wasn’t a great deal in the game but they pressed and pressed and pressed and made us make mistakes so I’m grateful to get through.

“We came to win the game and get through to the third round and we are so happy days.”

Wednesday nights result means both clashes between the two sides ended as a draw, with Worcester showing an endearing determination to progress on each occasion.

And despite setting up a third round showdown with either MK Dons or Chesterfield at Glanford Park, Robins thinks there are areas his team still need to improve on.

“We created a few chances but not enough,” he continued.

“I thought our play in general wasn’t brilliant but they were physical, they were hard working, they grafted and you’ve got to take your hat off to them.

“They were outstanding and I think this year’s FA Cup so far has been about the non-league sides and how they’re closing the gaps and making it very difficult when they come up against league teams.”

Carl Heeley’s men will now concentrate on their Conference North league campaign but certainly seem to have taken a lot of plaudits for their efforts in this year’s FA Cup.

Robins was extremely complimentary about Worcester during his post-game interview and happy that the club’s third round spot has been earned.

He added: “You’ve got to give them real credit because they’ve done their homework, they’ve played us once at our place and then at theirs and we’ve drawn both games 1-1.

“We’ve ended up going through on a penalty shootout so I’m happy we’ve got through but I’m really impressed with what Carl’s done with their lads.

“Some of their players won’t be earning a great deal of wage and that should be a real pointer for other individuals.”